


Finding Home

by Kinksoot



Category: Undertale
Genre: AU - Felines, Gen, Heats, Illustrations, M/M, Mpreg, Multi, No Smut, Other, They're cats; magic monster cats., mature themes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-23
Updated: 2021-01-23
Packaged: 2021-03-15 07:40:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,820
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28934919
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kinksoot/pseuds/Kinksoot
Summary: Red used to think his life was just fine in Fell City, scrounging for scraps with his overbearing brother's protection. But when his brother wants to try living in Ebott Forest, Red is separated from all he knew and introduced to some crazy strong forest cats and generous, soft kittypets. He needs to find his brother but finds obstacles and distractions at seemingly every turn. Perhaps things are better this way...This is a project I've been working on for months. Basically Undertale with heavy inspiration from Warriors by Erin Hunter. Though you don't need to be familiar with the series to enjoy this. Since I just borrowed some terms and a few other concepts--like cats living in groups in the wild and possibly other things people familiar with the series may recognize.
Relationships: Dynamic - Relationship, Sans/Sans (Undertale)
Comments: 17
Kudos: 6





	Finding Home

**Author's Note:**

> This work will contain some possibly sensitive topics such as animal abuse, incest, and miscarriage.  
> Pairings will change over time as the story unfolds, resulting in some spoilers if I tag them. If there is a pairing you absolutely can't stand, you can either ask me for the pairings I have planned for this specific story. I do wonder if you guys can pick up on the ships... Since there are actually some relationships that have started, reproduced, and possibly ended even before this story begins.  
> I think that's it for my disclaimers.  
> I hope you enjoy this little project I started for funsies early last year.
> 
> Terms: Kittypet = Cat owned by Twolegs. Twoleg = Monsters/Humans that generally walk on two legs.

“Here kitty, kitty~!” A taunting meow drifted on the quiet autumn breeze. Perched high on a sturdy branch, a cat was scanning a small forest clearing for their prey.

Just beside the pine tree crouched Red, his crimson tabby pelt camouflaged by ferns that were turning with the season. His bright red eyelights glowered up at the other cat to study their abnormally high heat signature.

Red’s magic allowed him to see the environment in ways average monster-cats did not. By feeding a large portion of magic to his eyes, Red saw radiation levels in place of visible light. Warm bodies would be contrasted with warm, bright colors against much cooler backgrounds and obstacles. Such as a rat, producing enough heat to shine yellow-orange against a cold blue alley, hiding under twoleg trash. Now Red was the one hiding, using this ability to study his own hunter.

They were unnaturally hot, hotter than most creatures could survive without their organs shutting down. Their round, somewhat lanky shape was a bright red rather than the usual orange hue for most mammals. White markings decorated their cheeks and blended with their Cheshire grin. Even more white would flare along their paws and a few lines of white looped around and dangled from their ratlike tail.

As far as Red knew, white was only visible with his ability when something was hot enough to cause painful burns. Yet this hunter stood proudly with nary a sign of pain or discomfort. Which meant that this monster-cat must have a fire-based magic ability.

Red had no hope of surviving against such a dangerous opponent. Even if he was a rather competent brawler, that had been back in the city. Magic was in short supply there and most monster-cats had more important things to do than honing their abilities. Such as hunting, dodging twolegs and their threats, and fighting to keep a turf capable of supporting them. The only reason Red’s magic ability developed as far as it had was thanks to his brother pulling most of the weight. While he hunted and fought off any threats, Red cultivated his powers to help track prey and spot danger better than their competition.

After all, it was better to avoid conflict altogether than risk an infected wound. Healing magic was incredibly rare among street cats.

‘ _I shoulda jus’ gone huntin’ with the boss,_ ’ Red thought bitterly, ‘ _Shouldn’t have let my guard down._ ’

His brother had approached Red a few days ago with a desire to live among some forest-dwelling cats that they had met moons ago. Though Red was the older brother by about four months, he never could tell his bossy younger brother no. Which meant if Edge wanted to leave the turf they had made their home for most of their lives, both of the brothers would leave.

Although Red wanted to see just what their new home would have to offer before committing any effort to their move. And so he ventured into the wild just two days before, in order to scout the territory and weigh the pros and cons. At the time, Red had only found benefits of living in the wilderness, as opposed to the streets.

It was certainly quieter without the bustling of twolegs and the roaring of their deadly machines. The prey he managed to catch was much healthier than the urban rats and rubbish. There was even a noticeable boost to his magic from spending a single night there. The only other cat Red had met was a needy blue kittypet. But he supposed that his decision to help the little tom had meant he did not wander as far as he could have.

Even when he returned here with his brother in the afternoon, there had been zero indication of any territorial markers. So when Edge decided he wanted to bring a prey offering for the cats that would be taking the brothers in, Red declined to join. Assuming he was on safe land, he instead crawled under a thicket for a nap while waiting for his brother to return.

Only some insane, violent monster-cat had found Red first. He had been chased north, over a bridge across the stream that separated Ebott Town from Fell City and connected to the river. The pine forest he had been chased into was considerably denser than what he was familiar with. Red had bruised his paws against branches and pine cones concealed by sharp pine needles and fragrant ferns. By the time he reached this small clearing, Red was forced to pause in order to catch his breath and lick at his pads.

It was lucky that his hunter smelled so strongly of burnt fur and flesh that Red had just enough warning to dive for the nearest, thickest red fern he saw before they landed on the tree branch above him.

“You can’t hide _fur_ ever, kittypet,” the monster-cat’s call brought Red’s attention back to the matter at paw. “If I can’t have your fluffy fur for my nest by nightfall, I’ll have to just burn you out. Neither of us wants that now, do we?”

Red stifled a scornful snort and returned his focus to study the alarming white magic that was dangling from the pink, ratlike tail. The further the strand traveled from its maker, the cooler the strand got until it blended in with the blue shade of the pine’s bark, vanishing from Red’s view. He knew there had to be some trick to the string and needed to figure it out before it was activated.

There was no way they knew of Red’s ability to see temperature changes so they were not intentionally hiding the string’s path from him. He reasoned that this monster-cat kept their strings cool to prevent the forest from catching fire while playing with their prey. Since it had not rained in several days, everything was quite dry. As long as the string did not turn white, there was no risk of burning anything without intent. Red would be able to spot the intent when it came.

Regardless, Red could not return home from the direction he had come. He needed to run deeper into the woods, away from the end of that string, and find an alternate route back. He was pretty sure a river was in the west, somewhere behind the dense trees, and that his hunter intended to trap him there. But Red knew how to swim and was determined to make it back to his brother with his fur intact.

Decision made, Red carefully turned his head towards his intended escape route and, before his hunter could notice the rustling in the ferns, sprang from his hiding spot. He made it to the edge and was just about to leap over a thicket when he was suddenly yanked to the ground by his hind legs.

Red yowled in surprise as he was dragged back some and rolled to see what had snagged him. Green strings stood out against the orange warmth of his hind legs, tying them together so he could not move them. He snarled and rose a forepaw to slash at the restraints with his claws. More green strings shot from beneath decaying pine needles to bind his forelegs together.

Red’s eyes blew wide with panic at the sight of green and yellow strings slithering towards him like fur-thin snakes. He bared his fangs in a defensive snarl to hide his fear and growled as they wound their way around his flanks and wove together like a full-body collar. He stilled when he heard the gentle thump of the string maker landing nearby and felt the strings grow warmer.

“Come any closer an’ I’ll bite yer throat out!” Red snarled, baring a row of pointed teeth to emphasize his threat.

The burning red shape stopped. Then they looked down at their tangled prey with a wicked, bright white grin before lifting a light pink paw. Red flinched back instinctively when white-hot claws unsheathed themselves. He recovered his spirit quickly, despite feeling his hope of reuniting with Edge unharmed diminish, and growled defiance at the other.

Slowly, the monster cat brought those deadly claws down towards the strings covering the tabby. Red watched, dismayed, as the strings jumped from yellow to white with a single flex of those claws against the end of a single strand.

White flames exploded from where the strings had lain, setting his thick, greasy coat ablaze. The dead, dry needles crackled from the heat and began to spark as Red thrashed wildly and rolled away from his attacker. He screeched and closed his eyes against the painful heat, hoping to snuff out as much of the fire as he could by rolling in the sandy soil. As he did so, he realized that his restraints had burned up and that he had a chance to run.

His attacker had not moved, likely amusing themself with the sight of Red struggling and writhing in an attempt to smother the flames. They were probably planning to spring on him the moment Red stopped rolling around. Instead of focusing on fully smothering the flames, Red decided to flee their creator.

He rolled just a few more times, towards his prior path west, and sprung to his paws when his back collided with a pine trunk. He reactivated his sight, ignored the embers still sizzling along his body, and then bolted into the thick woods.

An annoyed hiss sounded behind him and he ran harder, trying to avoid tripping over roots and other debris. Red was no stranger to pain and fully relied on adrenaline to dull his fresh burns. As soon as the sound of flowing water reached his ears, he jumped clear over the bushes in his path.

Red landed roughly on a cool, rocky riverbank and felt a rock cut across one of his paw pads. He ignored the new wound and splashed clumsily into the shallow purple water. A gasp ripped from his lungs at the shock of cold water. But he forced himself to flop onto his side and finish putting out the fire. Smoke rose from his pelt as the embers finally diminished and he paused on his belly to catch his breath and acclimate himself to the chill.

The moment he recovered, Red scanned the pine forest warily. He jumped to his paws again when he caught a glimpse of the red shape of his hunter through the pines. The red tabby cursed under his breath and looked across the river. It was blessedly narrow where he arrived and the water low thanks to the lack of rain. Still, the thought of swimming through the deep, dark purple center was far from appealing to the street cat.

Red’s ears swiveled back when he heard a body land gracefully on the rocky bank behind him. He waded a bit further into the river and spun to face the other with his back arched aggressively despite the pain it caused.

The fiery cat merely watched and twitched their whiplike tail in aggravation. They watched their prey wade even further into the river until the water was level with his clavicle. The fiery monster-cat made no move to pursue him.

A slow sneer of triumph spread across Red’s face as he realized the other was unwilling to wet his paws. The stocky tabby let out a gruff, taunting meow, “What’s the matter? Not up for a bit o’ fishin’?”

There was another irate twitch of the other’s thin tail, but they remained still and quiet. Though their lips were still curled in a tight grin as they observed Red.

“Welp, meeting you’s been de _light_ ful but I’m _burnt_ out. So,” the tabby drawled, daring to turn his back on an enemy, “ _cat_ ch ya later!”

And then, Red plunged himself into the deep, dark current and began to paddle. In the city, he had only gone swimming for rats in sewers when food was scarce. Currents were rare and never as strong as this one. In order to focus his energy on keeping his broad muzzle well above the surface, Red diminished his magic. Ahead of him, the forest was bright and colorful with the leaves changing to fall from the branches and decorate the lush undergrowth. It was unlike anything Red saw back home.

He approached the bank and eagerly dug his paws into the shifting pebbles to drag his heavy, sodden body ashore. Red scrabbled further onto the pebbly bank until he had the energy to stand. Once he was steady on his paws, he turned back to ensure his attacker had not followed.

Even with his eyes watering from pain, fatigue, and the river, and without magic being fed to them, Red could make out a black blur that had once been red. He watched, muscles tensed in case he had to run, as the other cat shifted their weight before they turned away. Once they were swallowed up by the dark green pine forest, Red finally relaxed and heaved a sigh of relief.

He limped his way towards the grassy edge of the forest and found a leafy bush to lay beneath. A groan of pain left him as he stretched out and studied his singed, soaked fur. The black sock pattern on his hind leg had singed to the skin where the string had burned to show a dark, violent red with blisters already starting to form. The burns on his forelegs had no blisters, but the skin was red and burned when he moved to rest his chin across them.

“A lil nap an’ then I’ll head back,” he muttered aloud, closing his bleary eyes, “the boss’ gonna be burnin’ mad.” The weary laugh that followed stressed the pain as the last of his adrenaline finally faded and he let sleep claim him.

The sudden stench of burnt fur and flesh surged, disturbing Red’s nap. His nose wrinkled in disgust and he tried to tuck his face in a way that would block out the stench. It felt like he had only just fallen asleep and he wanted more. But then, he heard a rustle in the nearby foliage and his body seized with groggy alertness.

A sudden heat radiating at the tips of his brow whiskers gave just the motivation Red needed to force his eyes open and take in the dark figure looming over him.

Without his magic active, Red could clearly see the hunter’s true appearance. Red sockets glowed bright against a black face and a familiar, unnerving yellow Cheshire grin split blue streaked cheeks. All of the mad cat’s fur was scorched black, save for where violent red burns marred his torso, paws, and tail. Even the tips of their ears looked to be disfigured by fire.

Dread rose in Red’s throat and he swallowed back the urge to wail like a kit. Instead, he curled his lips in a fierce snarl and struggled to stand and face the fiery monster-cat. His legs trembled in protest and his attacker’s heat-curled whiskers twitched in amusement. Their right socket held the signature white eyelight of a passive monster-cat while their left glowed an unnerving yellow and blue ring.

“How was your swim?” The scorched cat asked through their teeth, “Fall’s not the best time for fishing, you know.” Red merely growled and unsheathed his claws but the other continued, unfazed by the threat, “Yet I managed to catch something without even getting my paws wet.”

“Back off,” the red tabby spat and stumbled back, towards the river, without taking his narrowed white eyelights from his opponent, “I mean it. I’ve killed a cat before an’ I’d do it again.”

“Just one?” They seemed amused by that and casually followed the retreating cat. Red lost his footing on a piece of driftwood and crashed back onto his blistered haunches. “You’ll be my thirteenth,” the fiery monster cat shifted to a crouch, “any last words, kittypet?”

There was no chance given to respond as the hostile cat lunged forward at once. Red tensed and hurried to press his throat and belly hard to the ground in a last ditch attempt to save himself. His eyes squeezed shut instinctively as he braced for attack.

But it never came.

Something wet hurtled through the air and splattered between him and his attacker. The latter let out a screech of outrage and Red opened his eyes. Before him, a thorny barrier had been erected, seemingly from nowhere. Black smoke billowed through the small gaps from the seething cat trapped inside.

A small, brown ticked tabby landed atop the barrier, unperturbed by the sharp thorns. Their unnaturally long tail draped across their back, the bushy dark tip coated with some black fluid. They watched the trapped monster-cat paw furiously at their face, attempting to wipe at the thorns that had stuck, with obvious mirth. As Red continued to gawk up at his savior, he noticed their eyelights changed shape and color with every blink.

Red struggled back onto his paws when two new cats appeared from the forest behind the bramble barrier. A small, creamy ticked tabby with a long pastel-green tail padded to Red’s left, ignoring the fiery cat as they passed. Another cat approached from the right, their cloud-soft fur a dark midnight blue and expression gentle.

“You’re safe now.” The cream and green tabby meowed cheerfully, their starry eyelights glowing with a bright yellow-green magic.

To Red’s surprise, he felt relieved by the small cat’s presence. He should have felt defensive aggression at the sight of two strange monster-cats approaching him so casually when as vulnerable as he was currently. Tension left his body as both cats moved to flank him. Something was affecting him but he was too tired to fight it. Red turned his weary gaze back to the barrier when he heard a fierce growl.

“INK!” The fiery cat snarled murderously up at his captor, recovered from their impact with the thorny branches. Red was somewhat surprised; the unnerving Cheshire grin finally left, along with their composure.

“Error,” the small brown cat responded to the other’s anger with a cocky smirk, eyes flashing to red shapes. “I see you’re still picking on defenseless kittypets.”

Even with the soothing aura exuded by the cat on his left, Red’s fur bristled indignantly at the remark as he spat, “Defenseless?!” 

Though the ticked tabby ignored him as the fiery cat trapped under them was the sole focus of their attention.

“It was on my territory,” Error growled, their red, blistered tail lashing with suppressed aggression. “Besides, I’m doing it a favor.” 

The one called Ink rolled their eyes and then responded, “That’s what you always say. Death isn’t a favor, Error.”

“Oh, but yours will be one to me, Ink.” The other spat before raking yellow claws down the bramble barrier.

Red flinched back as fire sparked and began to consume the cage of thorns. The two young cats that flanked him moved between Red and the flames. 

Ink had jumped off of the barrier to land a bit further from them, down river, just before the smoldering monster-cat’s magic could lap at their paws. They wiggled their black tail tip, causing the thorny barrier to collapse into a black puddle which drowned out the fire magic. The dark fluid then rose up around Error like a twoleg’s cage. But before the roof had a chance to form, Error leapt clear of the obstacle. They landed a fox-length from the smaller brown tabby, their smoking back arched as they faced off.

Ink was unfazed by the aggressive gesture and merely grinned up at him with narrowed red eyes. They flicked their tail sharply and more black fluid shot out. Error hopped back to avoid the attack and rose a paw to their blue cheek, claws extended. In the time this action took, Ink had already rushed for the river, sending a stream of their black magic across to a small, seemingly scorched island.

Red was shocked when the black magic suddenly turned into a large, fallen trunk. Ink leaped onto it and crossed, luring the furious cat to follow.

“Stay off my territory!!”

As Error raced after Ink, Red saw a blur of black burst from some nearby bushes to pursue the duo. It moved too fast for him to clearly see just what it had been. The trunk disappeared just as it made it onto the island’s sooty shore.

“PJ and my father can handle Error,” the green ticked tabby on his left chirped to their companion. “We should get this kittypet to Sci.”

“Yer not takin’ me anywhere,” spat the ‘kittypet,’ “and I gotta name! It’s Red.” He had almost forgotten the potential threats at his flanks as his sense for danger was dulled with fatigue and the odd aura emanating from the small cat. “Now who’re you?”

He glared at the cat on his right. It was a midnight blue tabby with light yellow ticked markings and a lighter blue underbelly. Their soft, poofy pelt almost looked like a starry night sky.

“My name’s Gravity and he’s Palette Roller.” The soft cat responded and swished their long cottony tail towards their companion.

“I’m sorry we had to meet under these circumstances, Red.” Palette Roller apologized with a polite dip of his head. “Those burns look nasty. We can take you to a healer, if you allow us.”

Red eyed the young cats warily before he hesitatingly sniffed them.

Palette Roller had a rather pleasant scent for a tom, but Gravity’s was strange and off-putting. Not just because they were a monster-cat, but because their scent was faintly acrid like the twoleg machines in the city. 

Though they seemed innocent enough. The pair’s posture was relaxed and welcoming and Palette Roller had kept an open face when offering help.

Still, trust was hard earned where he came from. He forced himself to relax his usual aggressive posture and flashed them an easygoing sneer. He did not miss the curious looks when they caught the glint of his golden fang, “What’cha want from me?”

“Oh, nothing,” Palette Roller chirped, “It’s our duty to protect cats like you!”

“‘Cats like me’?” He echoed with a skeptical scowl, “Whazzat s’posed to mean?”

“Cats in trouble,” Gravity cut in briskly. “We are Star Warriors, guardians of Ebott Forest.”

Red snorted at that and rolled his eyes but dropped the scowl. He was really starting to feel the burns on his legs, belly, and flanks now. They stung and made him tremble involuntarily as the air bit at the exposed wounds.

“How far’s that healer?” He asked reluctantly.

“It’s not too far from here. There’s a trail through those trees that we can follow.” Gravity answered, jerking his muzzle back in the direction they had come.

“‘Kay then, o’ mighty guardians,” he drawled sarcastically in an effort to hide his discomfort, “lead the way.”

“I…” Palette Roller began hesitatingly and studied Red briefly, “I may not be as good a healer as Sci, but I can sense you’re in a lot of pain. More than most could stand. I might be able to help.” At the distrustful glare shot his way, he quickly added, “Only if you’re okay with it, of course. I’ve had practice treating that monster’s burns.”

Red’s whiskers twitched in amusement at the disgust in the other’s tone at the mention of his attacker. He followed the yellow-green gaze to the long green tail. Fluid was beginning to coat its length, similar in consistency to Ink’s magic and Red took a step back.

“It’ll soothe the burns and keep it from getting worse.” Palette Roller explained, “I’ll also be able to mask some of your pain with my magic.”

Red eyed it warily but soon sighed and presented his wounds to the young tom. Permission given, Palette Roller purred briefly and gently swept his wet, bushy tail over the wounds. The stocky tom flinched as he felt the cool fluid slather over the burns, expecting pain. To his surprise, there was only a mild discomfort before the pain ebbed. Once all the wounds had been covered with the soothing green magic, the Star Warrior stepped back, starry eyes bright with pride.

“Better?” he asked with a knowing glint.

Red merely nodded dumbly and examined the young tom’s work. He wondered how bad the wounds would scar as the green magic showed just how severe the damage had been. His hindquarters were both covered and he wished he had offered up his aching white paw pads for a similar treatment. But the prideful street cat had already asked for more than he was comfortable repaying.

“Do you think you can walk alright on your own?” Gravity spoke up, already on his way back towards the forest.

“I’ll manage,” he grunted gruffly, limping after him.

Palette Roller gave him a dubious look but soon took the lead. Gravity let him pass and then waited for Red to reach his side. They followed after the long-tailed cat, the former brushing a bush’s branches from the wounded cat’s path. He stifled his annoyance at being treated like some queen and loped to catch up with his guide. Palette Roller’s long tail easily showed above the underbrush despite his small size. 

By the time they reached the twoleg-trodden pathway, Red felt unable to carry his stocky body a step further without resting. When he sat at the edge to catch his breath, Palette Roller turned to him with an unsurprised expression. Gravity shifted their gaze between the pair before settling beside Red.

“How much further’s this healer o’ yers?” He huffed gruffly.

“Not too far now. You see?” Gravity nodded down the path. Red could just make out some wooden fences and the roofs of some twoleg dens. “Think you can make it?”

‘ _They’re takin’ me to the twolegs? Thought they were forest cats..._ ’ Red’s fur rose uneasily. “I… think I’ll manage.” He tried to get back onto his paws but the effort caused his head to spin.

“I don’t mean any offense, but I think I should just carry you the rest of the way.” Palette Roller crouched beside him.

“I agree,” Gravity added, getting back on his paws, “you might not heal properly if you push your body too hard.”

Red eyed the small cream-colored tom, doubting he would be able to handle his weight. He was even smaller than Ink had been and Red was a hefty cat, even if food had been getting a bit hard to come by in the city with the cold season.

Not to mention how embarrassing it would be to have the young tom carry him on his yellow-green back. But Gravity was right that forcing himself to continue could cause some serious damage. If Edge where here, he would surely have given Red an earful while shimmying him onto his boney back. 

The stocky tom sighed heavily in defeat and then moved to clamber onto Palette Roller’s back, “Tell anyone and yer dead, runt.”

Red was impressed that Palette Roller barely jostled while he had pulled himself up and settled onto his back. The Star Warrior slowly rose from his crouch, bringing Red’s white paws about a whisker-length off the ground. Gravity had helped steady them for the first few paw steps and then brushed past to take the lead.

However they paused after Palette Roller took the first step and Red let out a groan as he swayed. Gravity trotted back and hesitantly met the gruff tom’s eyes. “I could make you lighter. It might make things a bit more comfortable.”

Curious and too tired to give what they were offering much thought, Red gave an indifferent grunt of permission to do as they pleased.

He was startled when Gravity’s right eyelight turned blue and magic pooled to their nose. Palette Roller shifted uncomfortably when he felt his passenger tense and the paint coating the burns glowed faintly until Red felt himself relax. Then, Gravity slowly pressed their nose to his and almost immediately, he felt much lighter. Almost like he would float away if he weighed any less.

“There. Less weight means less strain,” Gravity purred and then returned to lead the way.

“Yeah…” Red mumbled, gingerly resting his chin between Palette Roller’s large ears, “Guess so.”

Soon, the pace became steadier and the tabby found himself relaxing from the comforting warmth that seeped from the creamy pelt beneath him. His eyes slid shut soon after, well before reaching their destination.

The last of his consciousness ebbed and Red’s final thought was of his brother, ‘ _Sorry boss, hope ya don’t get too worried this time…_ ’

* * *

Soo... This was originally a prologue that was like... 2000 or so words. But I doubled it in the final (~8th) rewrite. 

**Author's Note:**

> If you enjoyed it, lemme know. If not, that's fine.  
> I spent so much time on it and felt not sharing it would be such a waste. I really hope I'll be able to see this project through to the end. I wrote up to 25 chapters in the draft before realizing to completely rewrite it and fix some things. I have the whole world planned out and events plotted on a timeline spanning like 8 years, at least and several notes on a few different phone apps about where to take the plot and other things. xD So it would be a waste not to try but I have some serious anxiety to overcome.


End file.
